5 dolphins rescued, 2 dead after stranding on Cape Cod

Five dolphins were rescued off the coast of Wellfleet on Saturday after becoming stranded during low tide, officials with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said.

Seven common dolphins were swimming in Duck Creek in Wellfleet around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, said Jane Hoppe, IFAW deputy strandings coordinator. According to Hoppe, the area is a common place for dolphins to become stranded due to extreme and rapid low tides.

Although the dolphins were reported about three and a half hours before low tide was expected to arrive, the animals began stranding themselves about an hour after being sighted.

“The tide unfortunately receded very quickly, and this location is also a pretty difficult area for these dolphins to navigate,” Hoppe said.

When IFAW staff arrived, they discovered that two dolphins were dead. The cause of death is not yet known, but it could be attributed to the stranding and the “stress and shock” the animals experienced during these incidents, Hoppe said.

The other five dolphins were taken to IFAW’s mobile dolphin rescue clinic. After a veterinarian ensured they were healthy, they were taken to Herring Cove in Provincetown to be released around 11 a.m. Saturday.

“They all swam pretty well,” Hoppe said. “It was a nice day.”